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    Home » Recipes » Recipes

    February 5, 2020 69 Comments

    Vegan Red Velvet Cake

    8.1K shares
    Jump to Recipe

    Just like the classic, this Vegan Red Velvet Cake is a gorgeous deep rich red with vanilla and cocoa flavour and a subtle zing from vinegar (this is traditional, trust me on this)! And of course, the cake is frosted with vegan cream cheese frosting for the classic combo.  Oh la la! I've been asked to veganize a red velvet cake more times than I can count. With both Valentine's Day and the red carpet event of the Oscars coming up, I thought now was the perfect time to finally share my recipe. I hope you enjoy!

    Vegan Red Velvet Cake! Tastes just like the traditional complete with a dairy-free cream cheese frosting! Easy to make. Perfect for Valentine's day or any occasion. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #vegandessert

    Yeah, my mouth is watering already.

    This cake might look and taste all sorts of fancy, but it is actually quite easy to prepare. The cakes come together quickly and needs to be cooled completely before frosting, so I usually make the cake layers the day before I want to serve it.

    The frosting takes just a few minutes to whip up and can be made the day before as well and stored in the fridge. Then when ready, just frost and serve!

    Vegan Red Velvet Cake! Tastes just like the traditional complete with a dairy-free cream cheese frosting! Easy to make. Perfect for Valentine's day or any occasion. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #vegandessert

    Just like all of my dessert recipes, this cake tastes just like the traditional version, and no one will be able to tell it's vegan!

    Enjoy this cake as a romantic after-dinner dessert, or (my favourite) for a breakfast treat with coffee in the morning.

    How To Make Vegan Red Velvet Cake:

    Mix together the dry ingredients.In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.

    Mix together the wet ingredients and add food dye for the perfect red velvet cake colour

    In a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. Add enough red food dye so that the wet ingredients are a very vibrant red. As for quantity, it will depend on the intensity of the food colouring used. For the gel, I used 1 heaping teaspoon. For a liquid dye, it would likely be closer to 2 tablespoons.

    Mix the wet and dry together

    Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until the batter just comes together, don’t over mix. The colour of the batter will deepen when cooked for the perfect red velvet colour.

    Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

    Evenly divide batter among the cake pans. Bake 30 - 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan before removing.

    whip up the frosting, and frost the vegan red velvet cakes as desired.

    How To Make Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting:

    Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and slowly mix in. Increase the speed and whip the frosting until fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of plant-based milk at a time, mixing in, until the desired consistency is reached. Depending on the cream cheese used if the frosting is too sweet, add a pinch of salt and mix in.

    If you like a lot of frosting you may want to double the amount.

    Alternatively, you could make my cream cheese frosting recipe found in my cookbook Fuss-Free Vegan (page 170) which doesn't require any vegan cream cheese!

    Store the frosting in the fridge until needed. Make sure the cakes are cooled completely before frosting.

    Vegan Red Velvet Cake! Tastes just like the traditional complete with a dairy-free cream cheese frosting! Easy to make. Perfect for Valentine's day or any occasion. #itdoesnttastelikechicken #veganrecipes #vegandessert

    For the Final Touches:

    I saved some of the cake crumbs collected when I was levelling the cakes, broke them up, and sprinkled them around the edges of the cake. I think it's the perfect way to decorate this vegan red velvet cake, so cute!

    Bon appetegan!

    Sam Turnbull

    Print Recipe
    4.92 from 48 votes

    Vegan Red Velvet Cake

    Tastes just like the traditional complete with a dairy-free cream cheese frosting! Easy to make. Perfect for Valentine's day or any occasion.
    Prep Time15 mins
    Cook Time35 mins
    Total Time50 mins
    Course : Dessert
    Cuisine : American
    Servings: 2 layer cake (8" diameter)
    Author: Sam Turnbull • It Doesn't Taste Like Chicken

    Ingredients

    Dry Ingredients:

    • 2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
    • 1 ½ cup white sugar
    • 3 tablespoons cocoa powder
    • 2 teaspoons baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt

    Wet Ingredients:

    • 1 ⅓ cup plant-based milk (such as soy or almond)
    • ⅔ cup light oil (such as canola or vegetable)
    • ¼ cup apple cider vinegar
    • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
    • vegan red food dye *see notes

    Vegan Cream Cheese Frosting:

    • 8 oz vegan cream cheese
    • ¼ cup vegan butter
    • 2 ½ cups powdered sugar
    • ¾ teaspoons vanilla extract
    • plant-based milk, if needed
    • salt, if needed
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    Instructions

    To make vegan red velvet cake:

    • Preheat your oven to 350F (180C). lightly grease two 8-inch round cake pans.
    • In a large bowl, whisk the dry ingredients together.
    • In a medium bowl, mix the wet ingredients together. Add enough red food dye so that the wet ingredients are a very vibrant red *see notes. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until the batter just comes together, don’t over mix. Evenly divide batter among the cake pans. Bake 30 - 35 minutes until ta toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pan before removing.

    To make vegan cream cheese frosting:

    • Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to beat the cream cheese and butter together until fluffy. Add the powdered sugar and slowly mix in. Increase the speed and whip the frosting until fluffy. If the frosting is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of plant-based milk at a time, mixing in, until the desired consistency is reached. If the frosting is too sweet, add a pinch of salt and mix in. Store the frosting in the fridge until needed. Make sure the cakes are cooled completely before frosting.

    Notes

    Red food dye: not all food dyes are vegan-friendly, so make sure to check the brand you are purchasing. I used Wilton gel food colours which are vegan-friendly. As for quantity, it will depend on the intensity of the food colouring used. For the gel, I used 1 heaping teaspoon. For a liquid dye, it would likely be closer to 2 tablespoons. You could alternativly use beet powder.
    Cream Cheese Frosting: if you do not have access to store-bought cream cheese you can make the cream cheese frosting recipe found in my cookbook Fuss-Free Vegan (page 170) which doesn't require any cream cheese! If you like a lot of frosting you may want to double the recipe.
    Baking pans: I've never had any issue with my cakes sticking to the pans, but if you are concerned you can line the bottoms of your pans with parchment paper. 

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1serving cake with frosting (recipe makes 16 servings) | Calories: 364kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Sodium: 361mg | Potassium: 38mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 38g | Vitamin A: 135IU | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 1mg
    Did You Make This Recipe?Tag @itdoesnttastelikechicken on Instagram and Hashtag #itdoesnttastelikechicken
    « Vegan Huevos Rancheros
    Vegan Truffle Mac and Cheese »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Chuck says

      November 13, 2022 at 2:19 pm

      Cake constitency and time cooking: perfect. Cake is moist and fluffy like a cake should be.

      About the color though I had to used about 3 teaspoons of Club House red food coloring and still it was more like a maroon color. Still pretty close to what a red velvet should be.

      The real bummer was the cake icing. Way too liquid. I don’t think the butter was necessary at all. Disappointing when it comes to assembling your two cake pieces.

      With a perfected icing recipe it would be perfect.

      *there’s vanilla in the icing ingredients but no mention to add in the instructions 🙂

      Reply
    2. Victoria says

      August 15, 2022 at 2:28 pm

      5 stars
      My nephew and his wife, both vegans, came for dinner and although I was good with the apps & main course, I was really stuck on a dessert. I made this recipe as cupcakes and, oh my, they were delicious!

      I used paper baking cups and filled each with a little over 1/2 cup of batter, took 30 minutes total to bake. Made 12 cupcakes.

      The frosting was sooo good! It was a warm day, my kitchen was about 75F, and I needed about 1 cup additional of powdered sugar (and a pinch of salt). It still was a very soft frosting. Since I was planing to pipe it thru a pastry bag, I chilled the frosting for 30 minutes, filled the bag, chilled the bag for another 15 minutes, added a single layer of frosting, replaced the bag (and the cupcakes) in the fridge for 15 more minutes, then piped the final swirls on top. Needless to say, the cupcakes do needed to be refrigerated until just before serving.

      I've been baking for over 50 years, and had HUGE reservations with making cupcakes that contained neither butter nor eggs, and about using a non-dairy cream cheese, but the results were spectacular. Thank you, Sam, for developing this recipe to perfection!

      Reply
    3. Brienne says

      January 21, 2022 at 3:39 pm

      I made a double batch of the frosting and it came out really runny. I even added more sugar and still it was runny. I don't know what I did wrong. My cream cheese had been previously frozen - would that affect the frosting to this degree?

      Reply
      • Victoria says

        August 15, 2022 at 2:31 pm

        I once tried baking a recipe with dairy cream cheese that had been frozen and it was a disaster, so I am assuming that freezing vegan cream cheese would give similar results.

        Reply
    4. Nadeiry Astor says

      August 18, 2021 at 9:21 pm

      5 stars
      I made this cake with whole wheat flour (I do have to add more plant milk since whole wheat flour absorbs more liquid than normal flour) and monkfruit (granulated for the cake & powdered for the frosting) and it turns out AMAZING, THE BEST RED VELVET CAKE EVER. It taste exactly the same as Pepperidge Farm Red Velvet Cake (which used to be my favorite cake before going vegan). Even my mom who is not vegan end up loving it! Thank you so much for making this recipe!

      Reply
    5. Tahira Akhtar says

      July 25, 2021 at 6:33 am

      Can I use half cake flour for a softer cake?

      Reply
    6. Shan says

      May 10, 2021 at 1:41 pm

      I followed the recipe and my cake is brown instead of red I used liquid food colouring; so maybe less cocoa powder next time.
      The frosting also turned out more like icing sugar. Unsure as to why, maybe the brand of vegan cream cheese that I used?
      Anyway, asides from it looking diabolical it tastes great x

      Reply
      • Chrissie says

        May 29, 2021 at 4:40 pm

        This happened to me the Second time I made the recipe and I'm convinced it's because I used natural food dye. Did you as well?

        Reply
    7. Carrie says

      March 30, 2021 at 2:28 pm

      What size cake pan did you use? The nine inch ones?

      Reply
      • Victoria says

        August 15, 2022 at 2:33 pm

        Read step 1.
        8" pans.

        Reply
    8. Mindy says

      February 06, 2021 at 11:45 am

      How long do I bake it if I want to cupcakes?

      Reply
    9. Olya says

      January 17, 2021 at 8:19 am

      4 stars
      The taste of texture is amazing, but didn't turn out red. I used the exact amounts of cocoa powder (metric) and it engulfed the red color if the wet ingredients.
      I also substituted half the sugar amount with erythritol and it gave a lighter sweet taste which I think was great because the frosting was very sweet.
      All in all, I loved it, will try to tweek the cocoa amounts to get a red color next time.

      Reply
      • Raisa says

        May 30, 2022 at 3:29 am

        Try beetroot powder next time.

        Reply
    10. Hema says

      December 30, 2020 at 2:45 am

      5 stars
      Thanks For Sharing this Amazing Recipe. My Family Loved It. I will be sharing this Recipe with my Friends. Hope They will like it.

      Reply
    11. Lela says

      September 29, 2020 at 10:56 pm

      Thank you for the delicious recipe. Made it for my daughters birthday today and it was a hit. Already saved it for the future. Definitely a keeper!
      Wish I could post a pic. Nightmare Before Christmas turned out cute

      Reply
      • Sam Turnbull says

        October 01, 2020 at 11:45 am

        Wonderful!! So happy you enjoyed it 🙂

        Reply
    12. Ivona says

      September 24, 2020 at 4:40 am

      4 stars
      Dear Sam!
      I am dying to try out this recipe, as I'm sure it's the best.
      However, where I am from I cannot get store-bought vegan cream cheese. Could you please advise what to substitute for the recipe to remain good?
      Btw I love your recipes and style!

      Reply
      • Tahira Akhtar says

        July 25, 2021 at 6:33 am

        Instead of cream cheese you can use buttercream frosting and add a little lemon juice to get the sour flavour you would have gotten from the cream cheese.

        Reply
    13. Ronak Mehta says

      September 16, 2020 at 5:53 am

      5 stars
      Baked this cake for my birthday and it was an absolute hit! So moist and tasty. Thank you for doing what you do

      Reply
    14. Alicia says

      September 15, 2020 at 4:05 am

      5 stars
      Hello! I made this cake for my family and it was DELICIOUSSSSSS. Now I’m making one for a friend but I was hope to do 3,
      6 in rounds... any suggestions.

      Reply
    15. Myshelle Long says

      August 09, 2020 at 9:35 pm

      5 stars
      This recipe is the best! I've tried so many red velvet cakes and made one myself before i went vegan and nothing tops the one I just made tonight. It is so tasty and moist. I am so thankful I came across your blog! (:

      Reply
    16. Linda says

      August 08, 2020 at 11:11 am

      Can you use this recipe to make a red velvet BUNDT cake? If so, what would be the temperature and time to bake it?

      Reply
    17. Colin Wall says

      June 19, 2020 at 6:26 am

      5 stars
      Hi, cakes made and cooling... colour might not be right but it's my first attempt!

      Quick question: will the frosting cover top, middle and sides as it seems to appear so in the photo?

      Thanks!

      Reply
    18. Amanda Kasserman says

      June 16, 2020 at 3:33 pm

      Hello, if i wanted to pipe rosettes using the icing onto the cake, how would i thicken up the frosting to do that? Would u recommend cornstarch, or something else?
      Thanks 🙂

      Reply
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    Sam Turnbull

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    I'm Sam. Bestselling cookbook author and full-time vegan recipe creator! I LOVE vegan food, but it didn't start that way. As someone who comes from a family of hunters, butchers, and chefs I'm the last person I thought would go vegan. Here's My Story →

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